"An abridgment of the Shambhala Dragon edition of the same title"--Pref.

Written more than 2,500 thousand years ago, this classic military treatise champions the idea that moral strenght and intellectual ability are decisive in war. The conqueror is flexible and adaptable;he frustyrates the enemy's plans, breaks up alliances, gathers information, nurtures subversion, isolates and demoralises the opponent, and breaks up his will to resist. 'Weapons,' Sun Tzu writes, 'are ominous tools to be used only when there is no alternative.' Business studies focus on the Art of War as a set text, full of important lessons for commercial and corporate life; and there are practical implications too for other realms of human conflict (such as sports and relationships), and for any joint enterprise. This luxury edition is introduced by a thorough overview of the historical and cultural background.